


>>>---|>

by jenna_thorn



Category: Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-27
Updated: 2012-02-27
Packaged: 2017-11-01 15:58:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/358648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenna_thorn/pseuds/jenna_thorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the prompt : <i>Clint gets bodyswapped with Dummy.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





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**Author's Note:**

  * For [james](https://archiveofourown.org/users/james/gifts).



"Stark's in a worse than usual mood."

"We're all on edge, because of the..." Steve kept himself from glancing where Hawkeye usually sat, closest to the door, farthest from Fury, with line-of-sight to throw paperclips at Natasha.

She entered, her usual cool demeanor positively freezing. That didn't bode well for the medical team working on Barton's mystery coma. Tony followed, jabbing sharply at the tablet he carried before him. He threw himself into the chair beside Steve, set the tablet down, and pulled out his mobile. Steve slid a water bottle in front of him and Tony uncapped and drank from it absent-mindedly.

"Not your usual," Steve said as he nodded toward the tablet. It looked, actually, like the one Tony had given him, thicker and heavier than his usual accessories.

"Ancient, deaf, dumb, and blind. I've got a rogue program isolated on it." He glanced up. "No, Coulson, it's not a virus, yes, I've quarantined it, no, it's not attached to any of your hardware or my software ... it's not anything. Just gibberish that was running loose inside Jarvis' helping hands systems. Random characters with keystrokes and command lines that don't command." He threw the mobile to the table and it skidded toward Barton's empty seat. "Shit!" He ran his fingers through his hair, pulling it into even wilder disarray, and everyone carefully looked elsewhere for a moment.

"We're all worried, Tony," Steve started.

"Worried?! I'm not worried. Whatever." Tony leaned back and laced his fingers behind his head, affecting nonchalance. His tapping heel gave him away. "Look at Coulson, he's not worried, so ..."

"Do not presume to ..."

"Hey!" Steve pulled the tablet closer to himself just to make a motion, just to distract Coulson's glare. "We're all concerned for our teammate, but he's under medical care, and sniping at one another isn't helping him. Or us." He glanced down. "Besides, Tony, you can't fool me. You've got arrows drawn all over this thing."

"What?" Steve spun the tablet back toward Tony, who glanced down and shook his head. "No, Steve, computer languages use open and close carats to delineate ... wait."

Steve waited. Coulson stared. Natasha glared. Tony ignored them all, left his mobile on the table, picked up the tablet and walked out of the room without another word, sliding his fingers across the screen.

Seconds later, the mobile vibrated against the polished wood of the table as Steve's text alert sounded. Natasha pulled hers out as quickly. Coulson was at the door when Steve looked up and she was already through. He'd had to read the text twice.

"But, how is that even possible?" he asked the empty room.


End file.
